ONE of Cardiff’s best respected restaurants is to close its doors after almost 13 years.

Le Gallois, in the capital’s trendy Pontcanna district, will close its doors for the last time on February 5.

The fine-dining French restaurant was only recently awarded three AA Rosettes for 2011.

Francis Dupuy, from Limoges in France, and his Welsh wife Elen have been involved with Le Gallois since it opened in May 1998.

Mr Dupuy, who is also the founder of Boof rotisserie in the city’s St David’ s Centre, confirmed the restaurant would be closing next month.

He said: “It is right to say that we will be closing on February 5. It is a very sad story.”

The restaurant had recently cut back its opening times – opening for dinner between Tuesday and Saturday and for lunch only on a Friday and Saturday.

In October it was awarded a third rosette from the AA guide, one more than it had received in 2002.

In 2008, head chef Grady Atkins joined the restaurant, having formerly worked at the five-star Hyde Park Hotel in London as well as restaurants in Boston, Hong Kong, Sicily, Paris and Los Angeles.

The first head chef of the restaurant was co-owner Padrig Jones, who founded the restaurant with his sister Elen and her husband Francis in 1998.

Mr Dupuy is understood to have told customers he hopes to expand his gastronomic fast food restaurant Boof, which opened its first outlet in St David’s last year.

Russell Bullimore, owner of Bully’s restaurant, on Romilly Crescent, close to Le Gallois, said he would be sad to see Mr Dupuy leave the area.

“He’s a great guy and a great character and it is always heartbreaking when you have to close a restaurant,” he said.

“But if he is able to open another restaurant elsewhere then this may be a very positive move.”

In an eating guide to be published later this month by Welsh publisher Graffeg, Le Gallois is described as the “leading city restaurant” in Wales which has “for a long time led the culinary field in the capital”.